• FractalsInfinite@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    The question is, what will happen in 2038 when y2k happens again due to an integer overflow? People are already sounding the alarm but who knows if people will fix all of the systems before it hits.

    • zik@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It’s already been addressed in Linux - not sure about other OSes. They doubled the size of time data so now you can keep using it until after the heat death of the universe. If you’re around then.

      • Matombo@feddit.de
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        8 months ago

        debian for example is atm at work recompiling everything vom 32bit to 64bit timestamps (thanks to open source this is no problem) donno what happens to propriarary legacy software

      • AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I think everything works in windows but the old windows media player. You can test it by setting the time in a windows VM to 2039.

      • dev_null@lemmy.ml
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        8 months ago

        Obviously new systems are unaffected, the question is how many industrial controllers checking oil pipeline flow levels or whatever were installed before the fix and never updated.

        • CLOTHESPlN@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Being somewhat adjacent to that with my work, there is a good chance anything in a critical area (hopefully fields like utilities, petroleum, areas with enough energy to cause harm) have decently hardened or updated equipment where it either isn’t an issue, will stop reporting tread data correctly, or roll over to date “0” which depending on the platform with industrial equipment tends to be 1970 in my personal experience. That said, there is always the case that it will not be handled correctly and either run away or stop entirely.

      • Successful_Try543@feddit.de
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        8 months ago

        AfaIk that’s not entirely true, e.g. Debian is changing the system time from 32 bit integer to 64 bit. Thus I assume other distros do this as well. However, this does not help for industrial or IOT devices running deprecated Unix / Linux derivatives.

        • smeg@feddit.uk
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          8 months ago

          industrial or IOT devices running deprecated Unix / Linux derivatives

          This is my concern, all the embedded devices happily running in underground systems like pipes and cables. I assume there are at least a few which nobody even considered patching because they’ve “just worked” for decades!

            • smeg@feddit.uk
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              8 months ago

              They do at least get updates though, and they’re big enough that they don’t get forgotten!